Boy, 15, charged over death of 8-year-old girl who was found raped and strangled in a bin

Madyson Middleton was found dead in a recycling bin on Monday

A TEENAGER has been charged as an adult over the shocking death of an 8-year-old girl who was found raped and strangled in a bin.

 

Police say Adrian Jerry Gonzalez, 15, lay in wait before luring Madyson Middleton into his family's apartment from a courtyard where she had been riding her scooter over the weekend.

Once inside, he tied her up, sexually assaulted and killed her, according to a charging document.

Gonzalez remains in custody at the Santa Cruz County juvenile detention centre in California where he has been held since the girl's body was found in a recycling bin on Monday.

Madyson was last seen riding her scooter on Sunday – but was reported missing by her mother when she failed to come home.

 

Madyson was last seen riding her scooter on Sunday

 

Speaking at the time, Laura Jordan said: "She was just happy as could be, riding around."

A major search operation was launched involving police boats and helicopters – with dozens of officers and volunteers joining the hunt.

Dozens of volunteers and officers joined the search for Madyson

Santa Cruz District Attorney Jeffrey Rosell said: "Unfortunately, the search for Maddy ended in the worst way possible."

 

He said Gonzalez will be charged as an adult and added that in his two decades in Santa Cruz, he has never seen a 15-year-old charged with murder.

The charges could send Gonzalez to prison for the rest of his life.

Authorities haven't been able to establish a motive in the killing.

"People do things for lots of reasons, sometimes we understand it, sometimes we don't," Rosell added.